On Sept. 12, Wake Forest alumna Mattos Paschal (’14) — who currently works as head of sales management for classics at Christie’s Auction House in New York City — returned to campus to share her story “From Scales to the Sale Room” with students and faculty alike.
Paschal’s visit included an intimate “Coffee Chat” in the morning, as well as a larger presentation and reception hosted by the stArt Gallery in Hanes Gallery later in the evening. In this presentation, Paschal shared her journey working within the many sectors of the art world with an eager audience.
Paschal developed a reverence for the arts at an early age. Her father, who had taken classes in the Wake Forest art department, would often bring her to local art museums. These frequent visits cultivated a deep appreciation for the creativity and materials involved in making art.
However, it was not until Paschal began her undergraduate education at Wake Forest that she discovered the true expanse of the art world and market. Paschal initially took a stArt art management course, where she learned to weigh the business transactions behind collections. She then took ART 297, Management in the Visual Arts, a high-level course known for its “art-buying trip.”
The trip allows students to immerse themselves in the New York City art scene and explore a career in art management or auctioneering. Here, Paschal was able to meet an employee at Christie’s and imagine herself in their position. Paschal remembers this trip as a transformative experience.
After graduating from Wake Forest with a Bachelor’s in Art, Paschal interned and worked in various areas of the art world. She initially took on an internship at the Cristin Tierney Gallery in New York City and later moved home to South Carolina to work as an elementary school art teacher.
Despite enjoying her time in education, Paschal longed to return to the larger art world beyond her home state. Consequently, she moved back to New York City to attend a masters program at the Institute of Fine Arts in 2016. Over the course of her graduate degree, Paschal interned at the Gagosian Gallery and Christie’s during her final semester.
Paschal attributes her success landing these internships to her professional philosophy, which is based on two key principles: “no task is too low, no task is too challenging” and “always come from a place of yes.” These two phrases allowed her to take on an extensive workload, demonstrate a commitment to creating results and impress her supervisors This dedication is what led Paschal to move into her current position in 2023.
As head of sales management for the classics department, Paschal works to develop proposals, which are documents used by artists or galleries, to secure commissions or exhibitions from clients. Paschal is also a licensed auctioneer, which allows her to run charity events at the Bronx Museum of Arts and the Brooklyn Public Library.
She enjoys working in the art market due to its fast pace, rolling deadlines and “dramatic flair” attributed to the highly-valued collections that she sells. Some of these collections include The Collection of André Leon Talley and The Collection of Elton John and Gen One: Innovations from Paul G. Allen, among many others.
Despite collections diverging from her traditional education in Contemporary Art at Wake Forest, Paschal says that she applies her knowledge every day as she writes proposals and considers the business perspective of art sales. After all, art historians are those who make art commercially viable, imbuing them with the value to be sold at auctions like Christie’s.
Paschal’s event “From Scales to the Sale Room” was well attended by some of her past professors, other members of the Art Department faculty and students with an interest in art as a potential career path. Her story demonstrates impressive achievement that could not have been reached without a steadfast commitment and persistence. Once the presentation concluded, the reception commenced, and students and faculty had the opportunity to speak with Paschal further.
